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Scarecrow by Danny Weston: An extract

Jack and his Dad are running away from powerful and determined people. They take shelter in a remote lodge in Scotland on the borders of a farm, with no mobile phones, and with just a scarecrow in the next field for company. But from the moment they arrive, Jack sees something that makes him doubt whether his medication is working properly or whether his eyes are deceiving him. For this scarecrow is more than just a bit of stuffed straw, isn’t he? And when trouble comes knocking at the lodge, Jack must harness not just his own powers, but supernatural ones too, in order to save himself and his Dad from harm.

The cover image is enough to make any Halloween aficionado quake with fear, but this is more thriller for young ones than out-and out-horror. Although there are some horror moments – looking out of windows at night-time and seeing your reflection one minute, and what’s outside the next – and the set-up of course – a remote lodge – this is a gripping pacey action read with a supernatural twist.

Jack’s self-doubt inserts tension into the novel, and his dialogue with the few people he meets is authentic, so Jack feels real and relatable. Weston has a knack for making the reader want to read on and discover the truth, so to tempt you, Andersen Press have kindly allowed me to feature the prologue of Scarecrow here on the blog. Enjoy, and look out for scarecrows…you never know when they might scare more than crows…